About the Leasing Foundation
The Leasing Foundation, founded in 2012, is a not-for-profit organisation that has three key focus areas – innovation; young people; and diversity and inclusion – which are crucial in terms of driving growth across the industry. From its inception, the Leasing Foundation has sought to demonstrate that there are many ways to support the development of the industry with a focus on getting the job done rather than structures and titles. It has been a platform from which projects and initiatives are launched, and has partnered with the FLA and the AF-PA Trust amongst others to ensure that the industry has a flow of initiatives that promote innovation and research to ensure the business finance sector is as successful as possible and continues to play a vital role in helping organisations in the UK access the finance they need.
People
The Leasing Foundation is led by a board of eight, focused on innovation, young people and diversity and inclusion:
Andrew Denton (Alfa Financial Software, chairman)
Mike Randall (Simply, Innovation)
Nathan Mollett (Metro Bank, Next Generation)
Graeme Chisholm (CBC Resourcing, Next Generation)
Carol Roberts (1pm, Diversity and Inclusion)
Jo Davis (Locke Lord, Diversity and Inclusion)
Ian Isaac (Lombard, non-executive)
Gavin Wraith-Carter (Hitachi Capital, non-executive)
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
The Leasing Foundation’s diversity and inclusion initiative, encompassing sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, mental health, disability and age, helps companies in the finance industry to understand the business benefits of building inclusive leadership, management, organisations and teams and will help them embed inclusion and diversity into hiring, performance management, succession management, leadership development and learning.
In 2019, the diversity and inclusion initiative will launch a research programme to understand diversity and inclusion in finance organisations. The aim is to identify barriers and opportunities, uncover best practices and pinpoint interventions that work. The research is sponsored by Aldermore, Hitachi Capital Business Finance, White Oak UK and Locke Lord LLP.
Next Generation
The Foundation is committed to making the business finance industry a destination of choice for the next generation of talented, career-minded young individuals across the UK.
Typically we run four high-quality networking events per year, featuring inspirational guest speakers. Each one of these sessions provides the next generation in our sector with the opportunity to meet senior leaders in a relaxed and informal setting.
The Foundation passionately encourages young people to expand their networks and get to know their peers in an open and inclusive environment, giving them a significant advantage when it comes to seeking advice and guidance.
Future plans involve working collaboratively with the Finance & Leasing Association to promote broader industry education.
In partnership with Asset Finance International, we are also able to offer access to two of the most prominent industry conferences at significantly reduced rates.
If you are part of the next generation of industry talent, please join our LinkedIn Group https://www.linkedin.com/groups/10360579/ to abreast of our news and events.
Look forward to seeing you at our next networking session!
INNOVATION INITIATIVE
The Innovation Initiative from The Leasing Foundation is a network for forward-thinking companies who wish to understand the benefits of emerging technologies.
Our industry is behind the game in terms of providing our customers with a good ‘journey’. This can be due to several reasons – including legacy systems, siloed organisational models, poor data and a lack of sight of what is available in the market in terms of technology and innovation.
The Innovation Initiative aims to:
Simulate innovative solutions that address generic service problems
Inspire new thinking about the benefits of new technologies
Explore new tools that address common industry challenges
Encourage collaboration and co-creation
We are hosting a series of breakfast debates that focus on key issues in technology and customer experience, help delegates become aware of the ever-expanding fintech landscape and explore how new technologies will transform the industry.
We hope to inspire you to think differently about the challenges in your business – how to drive things forward, how to innovate and help the whole industry change its perspective. In turn this will stimulate conversations, encourage collaboration and help you build a network of contacts that will enable you and our industry take the appropriate steps into the future.
To be the first to hear about the innovations that could make a difference to our industry and to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the Innovation Initiative, please join the Innovation Initiative LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8733186/
Membership of the Innovation Initiative and attendance at events are free.
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